Don't Make Me, Don't Break Me
by VeNtiNo
Summary: He is synonymous with outgoing. She is synonymous with shy. When paired to work together, he tries everything in his power to make her come out of her shell, but he didn’t expect to find, fall and lose love. [Full summary inside] [Chapter 4 finally up]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything in this story that you recognize; they all belong to JK Rowling. However, what you don't recognize is all mine. The plot might be unoriginal, but hey, I'm writing it in my own words and with my own twists and turns. 

**Summary:** He is outgoing and pretty nice, but can be an arrogant bastard within a blink of an eye. She is shy with a protective cocoon surrounding her and mixes with only certain people, but can be downright bitchy when her buttons are pushed the right way. When paired to work together, he tries everything in his power to coax her out of her shell and mix in, but what he didn't expect was to find, fall and lose love, all in the same year.

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"James! An owl for you!" yelled James Potter's mother up the stairs. He woke up with a start, but when he processed the words, he decided that the owl could wait and returned back to his warm bed.

"James! Get down now!" he heard his mother yell again. Whatever it is, it must be important, because she never wakes him from his slumber, especially for a letter from an owl. But then, owls deliver mails, and that means-

"Mother, did you go through my mail?" James called from the crack of his door, now wide awake with fear.

"I might have. If you want to know, get down here now," she replied. 

"Ah, bloody hell!" he cursed as he quickly pulled on his robe and made his way downstairs. He entered the kitchen to see his school letters strewn all over the island and his mother's eyes glistening with tears of joy. 

"Did something happen that I'm not aware of?" James asked tentatively. He looked around at the island and something metallic caught his eye. He picked it up and saw a brand new badge with the words "Head Boy' on it. He picked up the letters and quickly scanned the letter. All he caught was 'Congratulations, Head Boy, extra duties, assistance from Head Girl, good luck'.

He looked up at his parents who were positively beaming and slumped into the nearest chair, groaning.

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Lily Evans looked up from her book to see an owl outside her window. It was tapping her window softly. She bit down on the piece of French toast that she was munching on and opened her window. The owl flew in and Lily relieved it of its burden. With a hoot, the owl swooshed past her and flew out into the horizon. She picked the letter up again, musing that it was thicker than usual. She slit it open and a badge fell out. It read 'Head Girl'. She could scarcely contain her joy as she took the letter out.

She read it, and summarized that her workload would be more, but at least she would have help from the Head Boy (it didn't state who, though) and the prefects. 

She ran downstairs to the living room where her parents and sister Petunia were watching TV. 

"I'm Head Girl!" she said excitedly, waving the letter and badge in the air.

"Congratulations, honey! I knew you could do it!" her mother exclaimed, getting up from her seat and hugging her tight. 

"Good going, kiddo! We're so proud of you!" her father said, grinning. 

"Minus me," Petunia muttered. She glared at her younger sister, who was the total opposite of her.

 Ever since Lily got the acceptance letter, their parents had fussed over their youngest daughter. However, they were quite reluctant to let her go off so far, but respected her decision to enter that school. Soon, they found out that sending her to that school was the best mistake they did. Lily was shy by nature, so even though she did make a few friends, she learnt a lot concerning magic. 

"I have to go to Diagon Alley, though. I have to pick up some stuff. Do you mind if I leave now?" she asked her parents.

"Not at all, dear. How are you going?" he mother asked.

"I'll Floo over. I'll set up the fire, don't worry," Lily said, walking over to the fireplace. She took her robes form the stand, which already had her wand, check that she had Floo powder and stood in front of the grate. 

"_Incendio!_" she said and fire burst before her. 

"Bye. I'll be back before dark," she told her parents.

"Have fun, dear. Don't talk to strangers and don't do anything I wouldn't!" her mother reminded her. Lily had to smile.

"I will, I wont and I wont again. Bye!" she said before throwing Floo powder into the fire. The fire roared higher and turned emerald green. 

"Diagon Alley!" she said, stepping into the fire before whipping out of sight. 

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"Mother! I'm off to Diagon Alley!"  James yelled from his room. He hurriedly dragged a comb through his hair but it did little justice. It still looked messy and bed-headed like.

"Alright. Don't go wondering around. Stay safe, have fun, be back by 8, or I'll have you head on a silver platter," his mother said as she entered his room. 

"Yes, mother," he said as he placed a kiss on her cheek. He rushed out of the room and went to the fireplace. He threw some Floo powder into the fire and stepped into it.

"Diagon Alley!" he shouted and he was off. Moments later he was blinking in the bright sunlight of Diagon Alley. 

He walked out of the grate and shook off the excess soot from his dark blue robes. He walked around from a while and stopped outside Quality Quidditch Supplies. He entered the shop and looked around for a while when he decided that he didn't need anything at the moment. He walked out and wandered around. He decided against going to Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour, thinking that he could go there when he was finally exhausted after walking around. 

After he left Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, he blinked to get readjusted to the glare after being in the dark shop. All of a sudden, he felt someone bump – hard – into him. He turned around and in turn knocked the person down.

"Oh, sorry," he said as he helped the person up. He couldn't help but notice that the offender had a small build, maybe around 5'4, maybe 5'5. And quite slim hands. A girl had knocked into him? 

He offered a hand and helped the offender up. He, or most probably she accepted his hand. Now he was sure that the offender was a girl; she was small built and the robes that covered her clung to her curves just right. She brushed off dirt from her robes before looking up at his face. 

"Sorry," she apologized quickly. He saw a glint of striking emerald and a strand of fiery red hair under the hood that covered her head before she turned around and left him gawping. He recovered his senses too late to realize that she was gone. The only thing that lingered was her scent. He couldn't place a finger on what it was, but it was uplifting. When he realized he was holding up the crowd, he hastily moved away form the scene. He wondered of it was the last time he would see those beautiful green eyes.

Little did he know it wasn't.

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**A/N:** Okay, I'm done. Please, please, I'm begging you guys to review it. Make me happy, make my day. Can I ask for more than 5 reviews? The more reviews, the faster the next chapter is up… (Chapter 2 is halfway done. Reviews to motivate me? LOL)


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything in this story that you recognize; they all belong to JK Rowling. However, what you don't recognize is all mine. The plot might be unoriginal, but hey, I'm writing it in my own words and with my own twists and turns. 

**Summary:** He is outgoing and pretty nice, but can be an arrogant bastard within a blink of an eye. She is shy with a protective cocoon surrounding her and mixes with only certain people, but can be downright bitchy when her buttons are pushed the right way. When paired to work together, he tries everything in his power to coax her out of her shell and mix in, but what he didn't expect was to find, fall and lose love, all in the same year.

**A/N:** Wow you guys, I'm so thrilled! My heart raced when I opened my e-mail today (less than 12 hours after posting the chapter) and I was absolutely excited to see 16 (count it, 16!) of you have reviewed already! Gosh, I'm speechless! Well, as I promised, here's the next chapter of **Don't Make Me, Don't Break Me. **Personal notes and thank-you's are at the bottom. Check it out to see if your name appears! I also reloaded chapter 1 for a minor, minor mistake. That's all. Onward!

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**September the 1st, King's Cross Station.**

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"Lily, dear, are you sure you have everything packed?" her mother asked anxiously. Lily smiled. Mothers, always concerned and always fussing about details. She realized that one day in the near future, she, too, would be like that. But then, she'd have to find the father first. _If _she could find him first.

"Yes, mother. And yes, I packed my clothes, socks, books and I have my wand here. Don't worry," she reassured her mother soothingly. Petunia snorted. She wondered why she had to come to station along with her parents to see her freak of a sister of to that school, when she had other perfectly humane things to do, like going to the movies with her perfectly human friends, ogling over perfectly cute human actors and spending time with her perfectly human fiancé, Vernon Dursley who had a paycheck as big as he is.

"Well, I hope you packed everything. If you did, you could find a house and move in there straight after you finish that school of yours without ever coming back home. I'm sure that would make me happy. Oh, wait, you leaving every year does make me happy, you leaving me forever would make me happier," Petunia said with a smirk. Her mother reprimanded her with a glare while Lily just smiled. 

"I'm fine with that too, Petunia. Don't go changing your ways. Oops, I mean, do change your ways; the world would suffer less if you did," Lily retaliated. Mrs. Cynthia Evans tut-tutted her. Lily just hugged her mother and sent a nasty look at her sister. Petunia stuck her toungue out. When they were much younger, Petunia didn't hate Lily as much as she did now. In fact, they were what sisters really are; they looked out for each other, they had fun together and even went to the mall together. But it all ended abruptly when Lily received the acceptance letter from Hogwarts. Lily had received more attention from their parents, pushing Petunia out of the favourite daughter limelight. 

Lily looked at the big station clock above her father's head and gasped. "It's ten to 11! I have to go now!" she exclaimed.

"Alright. We'll see you soon, dear. Have fun!" her mother said, her voice oddly cheerful. 

"Yes, do that. Mail or owl us if you need anything," her father said. Petunia snorted again. 

"Yes, dad. Will do. Okay, I'm off! See you soon!" she said as she pushed her trolley away form her family. She gave on last wave, took a deep breath and went through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾ to begin a new year at Hogwarts and being Head Girl.

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James weaved his way through the crowd of confused first years, tittering girl who threw him flirtatious waves, trunks and hooting owl in cages to find his long time friends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. He maneuvered around like a sure-footed cat, trying not to bump into students and found the rest of the Marauders heaving their trunks full of Dungbombs, Stink Pellets and other various joke stuff to have the most fun in their last year of Hogwarts. 

"Jamsie! How nice of you to show up! Help me with this stuff, will you?" Sirius said, trying to heave his trunk onto the carriage. 

"Well, hello to you too, Sirius. And no, I will not help you since you asked me so absolutely nicely," James said with a smug smile. 

"Alright then. Remus, help?" he tried with another Marauder. 

"Are you asking me if I need your help, or are you asking me to help you? Either way, the answer is no. I don't need you help; my trunk is already in here and  no I will not help you since, like Jamsie said, you asked me ever so absolutely nicely," he said smoothly, getting of the carriage and giving James a high-five. 

Getting desperate, he turned to Peter. "Help me, please, Peter?" he practically begged.

"Not in this lifetime. Sorry," he said. He himself was struggling with his own trunk, so why should he help Sirius? 

"Oh c'mon you guys! I though we were buddies! Friends! Aren't friends supposed to help each other out in times of need?"

"Yeah, well, there are times when we needed you to bail us out, but you didn't, so I suppose this is all fair, huh Padfoot?" James said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. 

"Hold on, is that a Head Boy Badge?" Remus asked curiously, looking at the extra badge on James's robe.

"Yeah."

"Hey! That post was as good as mine last year!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Sorry, but I guess the best prankster gets the best title, don't you think? I'll be back; I have to find out which girl is lucky enough to get to work by my side all year long," James said. With a smug grin, he set off towards the crowd. 

"I really thought that position was mine," Sirius said sadly.

"Your thought was wrong," Peter said and with a heave, lugged his trunk up into the carriage.

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Lily emerged on the other side of the barrier and started looking for her friends. After a few minutes of scanning, she found them waving frantically at her. With a smile, she steered her cart towards them. They greeted her with hugs.

"Lily! So glad you could make it!" on of her best friends and dorm mate squealed while crushing her with an enormous hug. 

"Nice to see you too, Mike," she said and returning the hug. Mikayla Enriquez, or better known as Mike was glad to see Lily; the train was due to leave in 5 minutes.

"Hey guys," Lily greeted her other best friends and dorm mates, Elizabeth Kimura and Dakota Graham, or Cody for short. She hugged Elizabeth and proceeded to heave her luggage into the carriage. 

"What? No hug for me?" Cody asked, feinting hurt. She turned away and faked a sniffle.

"Aw, c'mere," Lily said, a grin etched on her face. She hugged Cody and resumed her previous action. 

"Since you hugged me too, I'll give you a hand with your stuff," Cody said, a similar grin on her tanned face.

"Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you," Lily said, smirking. Cody just stuck her toungue out and the both of them hauled Lily's trunk into the coach. 

"Lily, are you Head Girl?" Liz asked suddenly, spotting a second badge on Lily's robes. 

"What? Oh, yeah, I am," she said, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned.  

"You are? Oh my goodness! I've been vying for that post since I became a prefect!" Mike exclaimed. 

"You took away my rightful title," Liz sniffed. She, too, was a prefect. 

"Sorry, but I didn't ask nor did I bribe anyone for it," Lily said. "If you would excuse me, I need to find who the Head Boy is." With that statement, she left them.

"I still say that badge should belong to me," Liz said. 

"Sorry sister," Mike said with a smirk.

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Lily looked around for the Head Boy, standing on her tiptoes and craning her neck. She knew that she would never know who the Head Boy is until the Welcoming Dinner; looking for someone with an extra badge in this amount of people in this limited places was like looking for a needle in a haystack. She pulled her robe hood over her head unconsciously. 

She was about to turn around and rejoin her friends when she knocked into a tall figure (most probably a boy, she thought), but did nothing except send the person a few steps back.

"Sorry!" she apologized quickly. She reached about his chest and saw another badge pinned beside his prefect badge. It read 'Head Boy'. She gasped and looked up and saw her male counterpart in the form of James Potter, a Marauder infamous for all the tricks and pranks they played all over school.

James, meanwhile, thought the voice and hurried apology sounded vaguely familiar. When she looked up to see him, he instantly recognized the striking green eyes that struck a chord in his heart and the fiery red hair that seemed to give her life that fell out of the robe hood.

"You," he breathed. Before he could say anything else, the whistle went off and she gasped again. She looked at him again before running towards the train, her red hair fanning behind her as she ran. As he was looking at her willowy form, feeling captivated by the redhead beauty, he heard the whistle go off again and broke away form his reverie, running towards the carriage. As he entered the carriage, he was comforted by the idea that the beautiful green-eyed, redheaded creature was at least running around in Hogwarts.

At least he knew he didn't have to go so far to find her.

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**2nd A/N: **Alright, here are the thanks as I said above:

Emily Woodmark (I hope this is long for you! I do write long and descriptive chapters, but 2 and half months of not writing rusted me, I think), Caroline, AvrilLavigneRocks, Completely Unaware, Jess the Great, limitless, baybee, JamesLilyRock, biz811, Scarlett*eyes, Heart Spun of Sugar, Twisted Rose, eris wannabe, koneko and Koneko.

To Koneko, thank you ever so much for pointing out that fact to me. I was kinda rushed when I wrote that chapter, so I didn't consult the books and that fact just slipped my mind. But, I guess we can make an exception, since she is, after all, Head Girl *wink*. And as for the 'loose' and 'lose' thing, wow, I really overlooked that. I changed that already, so again, I thank you 

Review! Thanks in advance!

**-VeNtiNo-**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything in this story that you recognize; they all belong to JK Rowling. However, what you don't recognize is all mine. The plot might be unoriginal, but hey, I'm writing it in my own words and with my own twists and turns. 

**Summary:** He is outgoing and pretty nice, but can be an arrogant bastard within a blink of an eye. She is shy with a protective cocoon surrounding her and mixes with only certain people, but can be downright bitchy when her buttons are pushed the right way. When paired to work together, he tries everything in his power to coax her out of her shell and mix in, but what he didn't expect was to find, fall and lose love, all in the same year.

**A/N:** Wow, you guys made my day! I came back from holiday to see plenty new reviews! Also, I decided to change the plot a little. Instead of Lily being a loner, she has friends. I changed the summary, so read on to find out more. I also decided that form now on, updates are more or less once a week, as I plan to make the chapters longer. And to do so, I have to write it the old fashioned way, with a pencil and paper. Then I have to type everything back, so the job is pretty arduous. Read on, people!

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Hogwarts School Train 

"Lily?" Mikayla 'Mike' Enriquez said uncertainly. Lily was spacing out, which was not part of her normal routine. When she did not respond, Mike waved her hand in front of Lily's gaze, but no avail. Biting her lip and hoping that Lily wont attack her for breaking her concentration, Mike snapped her fingers thrice near Lily's right ear. Lily finally came out of her reverie with a jump.

"Hmm?" she said distractedly. She saw her friends staring at her like she was some alien from outer space. She looked at them questioningly, but when they didn't say anything, she merely shrugged her shoulders and retreated back to her train of thoughts.

"Are you sick, Lily? Is it the flu?" Dakota 'Cody' Graham asked concernedly, her maternal instincts kicking in. Despite her tomboy nature, she is still very much protective and worries about her friends constantly. When Lily gave no answer, Cody instinctively put the back of her hand against Lily's forehead. 

"She's not burning up," Cody reported back to Mike and Elizabeth 'Liz' Kimura. Liz muttered something under her breath.

"Maybe she's finally losing it," Liz suggested. "I mean, who wouldn't after all that studying and extra researching our little redhead did all those years."

"I'm not losing it," Lily said, finally saying something to indicate that she was not lost after all.

"She lives," Mike commented with a quick smile. Lily just glared at her.

"Cut the crap, Mikayla. Are you sure you were fine, Lily? I mean, glazed looks are not very good. Something finally taken over books as the first thing in you mind?" Liz said, grinning. Lily grinned back, albeit weakly. 

"I'm fine. Honestly. You guys don't have to fuss, y'know," she said, though with a slight tinge if impatience and irritation. Cody took this as the time to change the course of the conversation.

"So, did you find your Prince Charming for the rest of the year on Platform 9 ¾?" she asked slyly, her eyebrows raised. Lily looked at her with an expression that clearly said 'Prince Charming? I have a Prince Charming? Since when?'

"In simple English: who's Head Boy?" Liz said, jabbing her elbow into Cody's ribs and received a satisfying 'oomph' in the process.

"Oh, that Prince Charming. Well, I don't think much of that Prince Charming. I mean, I could be wrong. I'm not quite sure. I saw him wearing the badge, but it could be one of his friends badge. I really don't know if he is Head Boy though," Lily said, trailing off when she realized that she was babbling like an idiot. When she saw the blank look on her friends' face, she sighed and tiredly rubbed her face. She looked out the train and noticed that the lush countryside had changed scenery.

"Alright, I'll give you a clue," she said. Mike, Cody and Liz instantly perked up. They leaned in closer to hear Lily better. "He's a Marauder-" she began but got cut off by Mike.

"A Marauder? Well, then it must be Remus Lupin. He's the most sensible of the Marauders. He's almost antonymous to the word Marauder. He's everything a Marauder isn't-"

"Ah, yes. But then again, you have to remember that he is the brainchild behind every single prank that they played," Liz interjected Mike.

"So, if Lupin is not Head Boy, is it Black? He's the next sensible choice after Lupin, if you can get past his Ladies man image he managed to put up and sustain all this while," Cody said. They looked at Lily who was staring at the train floor that was all of a sudden interesting. She regretted telling them the clue; she didn't want them to know that she would have to work with that arrogant excuse for a prefect. How _did _he become a prefect in the first damn place anyway?

"Well?" Mike said, with an edge laced in her voice. Lily looked up slowly. She peered into every pair of eyes before settling back into the seat. With another weary sigh, she shook her head slowly. A stunned silence followed her revelation.

"You mean you're about to work with the most arrogant bastard I've ever seen before?" Liz practically shrieked. No, this was not happening. Lily, work with Potter? No way!

"You're kidding me, right?" Mike asked quietly, not wanting to think about what was gonna happen to Lily if she worked with James Potter for a whole year. She'd probably end up in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies in the psychiatric ward. Lily didn't look it, but she was still somewhat emotionally fragile. Mike thought back to their first year together as school and dorm mates.

Ever since day one, Lily had spun a protective cocoon around her and concealed herself inside it due to the constant teasing she endured for 11 years from her sister, friends and even neighbours before finally getting accepted by Hogwarts. Being the friendly people they are, Cody, Liz and Mike decided to penetrate the shield that Lily had so carefully set up so that she would eventually emerge from it a different person. 

They eventually did cajole Lily out after 5 years of sweet-talking. But then again, Lily only talked to them and not other people. The trio agreed simultaneously that being appointed prefect was the best thing that happened to Lily during their 6th year, as she would have to interact with students more than her average [They were all appointed prefects, but it's a well known fact that Cody point blank refused to be one. She claimed that rules were made for breaking, and that by accepting the post, she could not break any more rules]. In their own minds, Mike, Liz and Cody secretly agreed that her appointment as Head Girl was the best thing to happen to Lily to get her to really socialize with students.

Before the three of them tore the screen that separated her from the rest of the world, she was a miserable loner. She was either sitting up front alone, basking in the glory of teachers' praises or sitting at the very back, happy in her own world and thoughts away from other students. When her dorm mates finally broke down her defences, she started to interact more, but she was selective of her friends, preferring Muggle-borns and, of course, the people she considers her best friends, as they broke down her barrier; Mikayla Enriquez, Dakota Graham and Elizabeth Kimura. With them by her side, she learned how to fight back and most of all, stand up to her obnoxious sister, Petunia.

Given her history, add a famous guy like Potter, Lily was on the fast train to an emotional breakdown. True, she did talk and interact with a few low-key students, which means that she's not totally deprived of public reality, but getting paired to work with _a_ Marauder meant getting paired with the _whole group _of Marauders and their fan club, i.e. the whole population of female students in Hogwarts. Not exactly a nice scene for Lily, so Mike had every reason to be worried for Lily.

[A/N: Mikayla lost her only sister, Mariana, while she (Mike) was still young due to Voldemort's activities. Since Lily had opened up to her first and the fact that she was the eldest among the four, Mike felt a need to protect Lily even more. I know that this reason sounds crappy, but it's the only reason I can think of at the moment. If I ever come up with a better reason, I'll let y'all know and change this chapter.]

"Well, I hope I'm kidding," Lily said. She knew that working with Potter meant dealing with his over zealous female fans of the Marauders. She knew this not form experience but after witnessing some of their ex-girlfriends getting cursed and ending up in the Hospital Wing with hexes and charms. They talked for some more when they heard the magical voice say that they were 10 minutes form Hogwarts. They quickly changed into their robes and got ready to step off the train at Hogsmeade Station. As the doors opened, they were greeted with the sight of a hundred horseless carriages waiting to bring them to Hogwarts Castle. They climbed into one and with a snap; it closed itself and started the journey towards the castle. 

Once there, they stepped off and entered the spacious Entrance Hall, complete with is torch-lit corridors and great marble staircases. They trudged over to the Great Hall and took their seats at the Gryffindor Table and waited patiently for the other students to file in. When Professor McGonagall finally took away the Sorting Hat after sorting students, Professor Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat. The Hall became silent as they waited for the announcement.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts. I do hope that you've wrung out some of those that you have absorbed last year to make way for those that you are about to learn this year. I know that all of you are exceptionally hungry, as I am, so I will not dilly-dally anymore. I wish to announce who the Head Boy and Girl so that all of you can take heed and pay your respects to them. And they are, James Potter and Lily Evans of Gryffindor," he said. The Hall erupted into clapping as Lily and James stood up. For the first time in James life in Hogwarts, he heard the name Lily Evans. As he turned from his front seat to see who his counterpart was for the year, he gave a gasp and realized that the red haired and green-eyed beauty he saw was none other than his partner, Lily Evans. 

Lily however was unconcerned about the look he was giving her, but instead chose to look around the hall and smile at her juniors. She turned to the main table to see Prof. Dumbledore smiling and the other professors clapping politely. She looked at James, nodded her head as a sign of acknowledgement and sat down again. When he felt the whole room staring at him, he quickly tore of his gaze of Lily and looked round at the Hall and the main table, as what Lily did. He nodded to his fellow students and sat down again, oblivious to the stares Sirius, Peter and Remus was giving him. He was thankful for the distraction in the form of food appearing on the gold plates and began eating to avoid answering any questions. When the plates had been cleared of the last dessert, Dumbledore stood up again.

"Well, I have only one thing to say to you: bedtime. Go on, up you go to your dorms! Chop, chop!" he said, waving his hands towards the doors. The students got up and started filing out of the Hallm talking and joking loudly. Lily, Mike, Cody and Liz waited for the Hall to be empty before going out to avoid getting stuck in the droves of students. On the Hall cleared, they walked out and were greeted by the sight of the Marauders walking in front of them. James turned around and noticed Lily. He whispered something to Sirius who nodded. James lagged behind, wanting a word with Lily. With a questioning look at Lily, she shrugged. She told her friends to go on without her.

"Are you sure?" Liz asked doubtfully, looking at James who was busy entertaining a 6th year Hufflepuff. 

"Yeah, go on. I know a few hexes now, so I don't think I'll be in any harm. I'm sure! Go on! I'll be fine!" she said exasperatedly at her friends who just rolled their eyes.

"Scream for Filch if he tries to get fresh with you. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to skin Potter alive," Cody said.

"I heard that, Graham," James said warningly. Cody stuck she tongue out at James and made he way to the tower. When all she could see was their retreating backs, she turned to face James.

"Can I help you, Potter?" she said coolly. She was lucky to have friends who taught her how to handle fire with fire. 

"So, you're my partner for the year. Can it get any exciting than this?" he wondered out loud with a voice full of fake awe.

"No, I don't think so. Is that why you called me over?" Lily said, trying to maintain her cool.

"Not really. I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm James Potter," he said with a flourish.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lily Evans, grouch extraordinaire when sleepy. So if you will excuse me, I need to get on with my life," she said, walking away when she heard him speak.

"Finally, a face to put the name and a name to put the face," he drawled. Lily stopped in her tracks; she knew what he meant but she let it go. She walked faster but James caught up with her with his big strides. 

"Well, since were in the same house, why don't we walk together?" he asked as he fell into place next to her. Lily stiffened but didn't say anything. They walked together in silence, with James trying to strike up conversation with her. Every time he asked her something, he got a one word answer or an 'Okay' or 'Hmm'. Finally, they reached Gryffindor Tower and were greeted by the standard greeting.

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked them, looking form James to Lily and back to James.

"Birchwood," Lily said absentmindedly. The portrait swung open and they climbed in to find the common room deserted. The prefects must have shooed everyone to bed. James looked at Lily who was staring into the semi-darkness.

"Well, till tomorrow then," he said uncomfortably.

"Yeah, alright," she said as she started up the stairs. She stopped midway and cast another look at the room before proceeding again. James looked at her retreating form, gave a frustrated sigh and headed towards his dorm to get some shuteye.

What a year it would be.

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**A/N:** All right, I'm done! Wow, that must be the longest chapter I've written in a _looong _time. I don't have the time to say personal thank you's now, but you guys know who you are and you are really special to me. All your questions will be answered in the next chapter, which I hopefully can post up in a week's time. If you have any queries about the story, e-mail me or leave a review. I know that this story is not the most perfect story on Earth, so yeah, leave me a constructive criticism review. Flame, if you must, but make it straight to the point so I don't have to yawn over it. Okay? Thanks, people. Review! Thanks in advance! Muchos Gracias!

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**-VeNtiNo-**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for putting it up so late, people!!!**

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything in this story that you recognize; they all belong to JK Rowling. However, what you don't recognize is all mine. The plot might be unoriginal, but hey, I'm writing it in my own words and with my own twists and turns. 

**Summary:** He is outgoing and pretty nice, but can be an arrogant bastard within a blink of an eye. She is shy with a protective cocoon surrounding her and mixes with only certain people, but can be downright bitchy when her buttons are pushed the right way. When paired to work together, he tries everything in his power to coax her out of her shell and mix in, but what he didn't expect was to find, fall and lose love, all in the same year.

**A/N:** Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the reviews! I decided to change the review _again_, just the sake of making Lily a headstrong girl. As you guys can see in the last chapter, she was kinda, well, pissed at the fact that she has to pair with James for the year. So, I decided that Mike, Cody and Liz has also taught her to be strong and stand for herself, but she still is the shy person deep down inside. Okay? Cool. **One more thing,** I need your help. Could you guys be so kind and tell me if the books actually have a timeline in it? I mean, is it actually stated what year Lily and James were born, what year Harry entered school, yada yada yada… Thanks! 

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The next morning… 

Lily woke up with a start to the bright sunrays gently filtering through her Gryffindor-coloured drapes. She groaned as she sat up and slowly processed the facts that were swimming in her freshly awoken and utterly confused mind: She was back at Hogwarts, back on her last year, still a prefect (thank goodness for that, she muttered) and that she was Head girl… who was bound to work with James Potter for the rest of the year. She groaned again as she threw herself backwards towards her fluffy pillow and warm bed. She lay like that for another 10 minutes, until she heard her friends rousing form their sleep.

She drew back her drapes and found her friends in various states of awakening: Mike, being the ever-responsible one, was already getting out of bed. Liz was still sitting in her bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Cody, however, was a different case. She was still snoozing happily, not giving a care to what was happening around her. Lily grinned at sight that was unfolding before her eyes.

It was damn good to be back

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Lily yawned as she made her way down the stairs leading to the Common Room. She arrived at the landing to find it completely devoid of students. She decided that they must already be down in the Great Hall eating breakfast. She sat down in a comfortable chair and faced the window. She looked out the glass to see the sun peeking through the clouds, just to paint the sky with brilliant shades of purple and magnificent myriads of red, orange and flecks of gold. She waited patiently for her allies to show up. What she didn't know was that someone behind the scene was watching her, scrutinizing her.

"Morning, Evans," a lazy voice drawled behind her. For the second time that day, she sat up with a start. She turned around to see James Potter grinning at her.

"Morning to you too," she said. She turned around again in her seat to watch the sun ascend into the sky.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her, pulling up a chair beside her. She stiffened considerably. 

"What I do does not concern you," she retorted. She was putting up her defenses without her realizing it. Not that she couldn't control it; it just came to her naturally after years of teasing and verbal abuse. The only people she didn't put her defenses up with are her best friends.

"Really? Well then, I can't let that happen," he said with a slight smirk in his voice. He turned to face the window. He saw her reflection bounce off the shining glass and noticed that her jaw was tightly clenched. Maybe he shouldn't have been to forward with her. He was about to say something else when he heard footsteps bounding down the stairs. He knew it was the rest of the Marauders, as girls don't really come down the stairs like that.

"Oh Jamsie!" a voice called out into the semi-darkness. By the way the person said his names, he knew it was Sirius.

"What is it Padfoot?" he asked, irritated at the sudden intrusion of privacy. 

"What are you do- oh, I see. Fast worker, Prongs, my friend. I'll leave you two alone. Remus! Are you coming?" he yelled up the stairs, after giving James a devilish smile that clearly stated 'Go get'er!'

"In a moment, Sirius. You should learn to be more patient around me. I thought you'd know that after knowing me for 6 years," he said mildly. Sirius merely shrugged. When he caught Remus's eye, he nodded towards James who were looking at them apprehensively. Remus saw Lily, gave a knowing smile and steered a babbling Sirius Black out of the Common Room. 

"Well, were alone again. Where was I?" James said, grinning while absent-mindedly running a hand through his already messy black hair. 

"Not very far," Lily muttered under her breath. She looked outside and saw that the sun had truly risen. Where were her friends, for goodness sake? Where were they when she needed to be bailed out of an uncomfortable situation? Where were they when she truly needed to get out of things like this? Where were they when-

"Lily! Where are you!" came Cody's chirpy voice that floated form the girl's dorm stairs. Finally, Lily thought. She stood up and walked to the foot of the staircase. When the rest of them were finally down they left the room together, Lily with one last look at James, who just stood there. When they finally left, she sat down again with a groan.

What a year was about to unfold.

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"So, what were you doing at the common room with the infamous James Potter, huh Lily?" Cody asked Lily with a sly smile as she spooned porridge into her bowl during breakfast in the Great Hall. She was

"Nothing," Lily said nonchalantly as she stirred her own bowl of porridge. 

"Are you sure? I mean, he _was_ pretty chummy with you jus now, you know," Cody said, teasing her slightly. 

"Yes, I'm sure," Lily said, still stirring her porridge.

"Really?" Cody tried again.

"Positive."

"100 percent sure?"

"110 percent. Now would you leave me alone, please?" said Lily with a slight edge in her voice, sending a withering glare to her best friend's way. 

"110 percent sure about what?" came a new voice. It was Liz. She sat down next to Lily and opposite Cody and set a piece of buttered toast on her plate.

"Nothing," Lily said, sending another glare at Cody that clearly said 'Keep quiet'. Cody just smiled back innocently.

"So? Are you going to tell me or what?" Liz asked again.

"Tell you what? Is it not good enough for me that you want to tell Liz only?" Mike said in greeting, sitting next to Cody. She started putting jam on her toast as she looked expectantly from one face to another. Lily was still glaring at Cody who was still smiling innocently. Liz looked at Mike and shrugged. Mike looked back at Lily and Cody.

"Well, one day you will tell me," Mike said, shrugging her shoulders too.

"Yeah, give or take a century, I'd say, with their stubbornness," Liz said. 

"Hey! I take that as an insult! I'm not stubborn!" Cody exclaimed.

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England," Mike said with a smirk on her face. Liz laughed and they high-fived each other. Cody had a sour look on her face. 

"Fine, whatever. But I'm not the one keeping a secret, so there," Cody said. She had a triumphant look on her face when Mike and Liz exchanged a look.

"You wanna tell us something, Lily?" Mike said smoothly. Out of the three, Mike was the only one who could pacify Lily perfectly. The rest could, of course, but not as good.

"No," Lily said simply. But at the look on her face, Mike knew that she would tell her when they were alone. Lily was always like that. She'd never tell them anything when they're all together. She preferred to tell them one by one, or just tell one of them and the subject would be taboo after that.

"Okie dokie," she said. What followed was companiable silence, with and occasional cough or an unsuccessful attempt at trying to hide a smirk from Cody. Whatever she was thinking about, God help her with that. Finally, Lily pushed away her uneaten but well stirred bowl of porridge towards the center of the table after looking up to see some of her least favourite people at the moment. She hurriedly gathered her books and left rather quickly with a shout goodbye to her friends as she left the Great Hall. 

"What was that all about?" Liz said in an undertone, taking her fourth slice of toast.

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Lily ran through the corridors to her first class of the day, Ancient Runes. Her hair was thrown in a simple bun that morning, but it was haphazardly coming out of her simple hairdo due to her running for class. Truth was, she wanted to get away from James who had strutted into the Hall for breakfast earlier. She still wasn't exactly thrilled at the fact that she has to work with him. Maybe she could resign, but that would mean leaving the post she was after for so long. Damn to hell and back! The fates were conspiring against her when they wrote down that she was to work with him. Damn to all!

A little out of breath, she took a seat upfront of the class. She was mildly surprised to see some students already there. But then, they were the kind of people that she used to be a couple of years ago. She thanked her lucky stars for Mike, Liz and Cody, but she cursed the fates again when she saw James and Sirius walk into class. With a slight grin carved into his face, James walked past her but not before letting a slip of folded parchment flutter onto her desk. She opened it up and found it void of writing. When she was about to crumple it up, words were scribbled on it, as if someone invisible was writing on it.

'Miss me already? I'm sure you do, after leaving me behind not once, but twice this morning. Wanna make it up to me?'

It was written in James rather neat scrawl. She turned to see James sitting behind her and waving innocently at her and gave her one of his trademark smiles, complete with dimples and dazzling white teeth.  She growled low in her throat as she turned back facing the front. The writing was now cleared from the parchment, expecting her to write back. She dipped her quill violently into her inkbottle and scribbled back in her tidy cursive writing. 

'You wish.'

She crumpled the parchment and lobbed it over her head towards James and Sirius. She heard them trying to smoothen the paper and heard a 'That's all she wrote?' from Sirius and a 'Shush' from James. She then heard the scratching of quill against paper and the crumpled paper appeared in front of her again. She picked it up and read it.

Too bad. You have absolutely no idea what you're missing out on.

The nerve of that boy! She scribbled again on the paper when the writing disappeared again (Oh, my bad, isn't it?) and once again she lobbed it over her head. And again, she heard the exact same response from the both of them. 

'Most girls would die to spend time with me, you know' he wrote back.

'And I would die before I spend time with you, Potter' she wrote back.

'Spitfire, aren't you' he retaliated.

'You know it' she shot back. 

'Well, let me know when you change you mind. The offer still stands' he wrote, getting the last word in as she read the letter when the professor stepped into class. She tore the letter into shreds and threw the remnants back into James's face. She was distracted for the next hour, learning new ancient runes and laughing when Liz tried to reason with the normally hard-to-reason-with teacher as to why she was later for class. 

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**After class**

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"Hey Evans, wait up!" James yelled at her as she left the classroom with Liz. She stopped and turned to see James and Sirius running towards them.

"What is it now, Potter?" she asked, annoyed.

"My offer still stands…" he trailed off, a half-smirk on his face. Lily groaned and used every bit of self-restraint she had to stop herself from either punching or hexing him. Her tightened knuckles on her wand meant that she was goaded and he was quick to notice this.

"Alright, alright. What I meant to say earlier was that Dumbledore wants to see us in his office at 8.30 later tonight. That's all," he said. 

"That's it?" she asked incredulously, a fire igniting in her eyes. Why didn't he just be straightforward with her just now?

"That's it," he said. He saw her slowly suck in her breath and letting out again gradually. She regained her composure and straightened out herself. 

"Thank you. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to get to my next class," she said. She tucked her book in the crook of her elbow and started to walk off to join Liz who had backed away to give her some space.  

"Wait, one more thing," he called out.

"What?" she said. He strode over to where she was standing.

"My offer still stands," he whispered and walked off, milling in with the crowd and getting lost in the sea of faces. She stared back at his retreating back and her mind just went blank for a moment. 

He sure was on hell of a persistent guy.

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**Chapter 2 Thank You's:** AvrilLavigneRocks, cateyes824, Scarlett*eyes, DiWitt, koneko, Twisted Rose, AshliRyTe, mystic roses, amy, atlante [James has seen Lily, but doesn't know her name. He also has heard her name, but doesn't know how she look's like. Refer back to the line 'Finally, a face to put the name and a name to put the face' that James said to Lily outside the Great Hall in the third chapter], Koneko, Hermweasly, Heart Spun of Sugar, The Light and The Dark, Musicizdbest and Dara fin Vidya. Thank you all!!

**Chapter3 Thank You's: **Musicizdbest, Emily Woodmark, LaminaCourt, Darcel Lucia, chickensoup3, Twisted Rose, kitty, koneko, Jen and Harmonia. 

**A/N: ** I'm really sorry for posting this up sooo late! I was quite busy these last 2 weeks, and then I was off for a holiday visiting my aunt so I had pretty much no time to write! I'm sooo absolutely mondo sorry for not updating! As you can see, I had only 11 reviews for chapter 3, so can you guys please make my day and review for me? You can flame me for being late if you want to, or constructive criticism or just a plain review saying 'Nice job!' or whatever but please, just review! Please!! Many, many, many thanks to ALL of you who decide to review! Muah! May you be rewarded with the warm feeling of making yet another author's day and choc chip cookies with ice cream!

**-VeNtiNo-**


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